Supporting California’s economy and safeguarding its natural resources

Since its founding in 1850, the Board of Pilot Commissioners (BOPC) for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun has supported California’s economy and safeguarded thousands of miles of coastline through its licensing, training, and regulatory activities.

Each year, BOPC-licensed pilots safely guide ships carrying thousands of passengers and billions of dollars of cargo through some of the most challenging waterways in North America.

As the BOPC approaches its bicentennial, it continues to shape California’s future with industry-leading standards, highlighted by the development of new pilot boats that meet the nation’s strictest harbor craft emission requirements.

 SERVING THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA SINCE 1850

• Pilot Evaluation Meeting: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 7:30 a.m.
• Joint Pilot Boat Advisory Committee and Finance Committee Meeting: Monday, December 5, 2024, at 9:30 p.m.
• Board Meeting: Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Pilot Boat Regulations

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Express Terms
• Initial Statement of Reasons
• 15-Day Notice of Modifications to Proposed Regulatory Action Regarding Pilot Boat Surcharge
• Public Comment to the Board of Pilot Commissioners from the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association, September 9, 2024
• Public Comment to the Board of Pilot Commissioners from Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, September 13, 2024

Our History

Thomas Almond Ayres’ painting The Pilot Boat off the Golden Gate (c. 1855) captures a significant moment in California history and the history of the Board of Pilot Commissioners (BOPC).

Painted near the end of the Gold Rush, just five years after the BOPC was founded, the artwork beautifully illustrates the variety of ship types sailing on the waters of the San Francisco Bay in the mid-nineteenth century. The scene depicts both sailing vessels and an early steam-powered ship. In the foreground is a piloting schooner, similar to the ones that sailed the Bay until 1973. To the left, a clipper ship is depicted entering the Bay, with its lower sails already stowed. The painting captures the bustling maritime activity and the transition of ship technologies during this exciting period in California’s history.

Learn more about the BOPC’s rich history and how piloting has evolved over the past 174 years here.